Married.

June 24, 2017.

We got married!

The day flew by and we savored every second. It was so incredible and humbling to be enveloped in so much love and joy by all our family and friends. I can't say enough about the amazing communities we come from, and to have all of them come together was such a happy occasion! Here are some of my favorite memories and photos from our wedding weekend.

Two of my favorite surprises from the weekend came in my "something old", "something borrowed" and "something blue". From one of my very first friends I made in Urbana, I received a beautiful, vintage blue handkerchief. And from my Tita Val, I was given my grandmother's wedding band to wear for the day. Inscribed in her band is "Muling", my grandfather's nickname in Tagalog. Here they are, all captured together.

Nick and I have been pen pals for almost eight years. It was a priority for both of us to write letters to our bridesmaids, groomsmen, our mothers, and to each other to commemorate our time together, and to thank them for their friendship, guidance, love, and support. Here are some of those moments captured.

Once our tears were dried, it was time to get ready.

When we arrived at the venue, my stepdad saw me for the first time and carried me out of the car. I loved the sweet expression on his face and how you can still see his reaction in this photo!

And then I got to see my groom.

I could live in these moments forever. They were all so sweet and long-awaited! I had to hide before the ceremony so our guests wouldn't see me, and was lucky that I did not have to do so alone. My cousins (who are also some of my favorite friends) joined me and we played a few games and did a few stretches with the groomsmen to pass the time.

And then it was time for the wedding party to go. Before my family left, my Tita Lisa had them all place a hand on me and said a prayer. It was one of the most meaningful moments for me that day.

Our ceremony was beautiful and so personal. My sister and cousin performed our precessional ( "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds), Nick's sisters and my cousin read some of our favorite passages, and my sister performed an a capella version of the Bird and the Bee's "How Deep Is Your Love". My uncle officiated our ceremony, and then we exchanged vows we had written to one another.

And then we were married!

Then we got to party! Our matron of honor, best man, and my parents gave wonderful and funny speeches, my Tita Lisa led our dinner prayer, and our live music continued. To kiss for the crowd, we had to copy our guests kissing and there were some great ones that we had to recreate (like the infamous Spider-Man kiss!)! My cousins sang a parody version of Bruno Mars' "I think I wanna marry you" and changed it to "Hey Lindsey, I think that Nick just married you". It slayed me and I cried over the thoughtfulness in re-writing my favorite Bruno Mars song!! Here are their lyrics:

It's a beautiful night,We're looking for something Fun to do. Hey Lindsey,I think that Nick just married youIs it his work with bee hives?Or is it his red hairdo?Who cares Lindsey,I think that Nick just married you.

Your new husband is white but that's alright Not filipinoooooHe should goooooJust kiiiidding

We made a little hashtag for this wedding night, LickManderson (everybody!)**LickMaaaaanderson**Oh, come on, girl.

Is it his work with beehives,Or is it his red hairdo?Who cares Lindsey,I think that Nick just married you.

And what would this blog post be without some of the decor shots? (Will have to do another blog post on details and lettering!)

Our wedding day was such a reflection of our relationship and the people we come from. We would not be the same without them! Toward the end of our first dance, our guests circled around us and put their arms around each others shoulders and swayed. It was so sweet and I hope it is forever imprinted in my memory - tightly surrounded by the people we love while we began the first day of our marriage.

I will leave you with a few last portraits and a link to a beautiful slideshow our photographer created for us here. Thank you for reading!